Relax
by Meganlovesjb
Summary: Joe Jonas, a doctor, wants to help his friend Lexi. One shot.


_**Relax**_

**Okay so this is just a little something that for some reason I've been dying to write. It has no point or purpose, and I don't really expect any response. I'm just writing it because it won't leave me alone.**

Sometimes having a best friend who is a doctor can be the most convenient thing. Sometime it's a pain in the ass. But today, well today it was just a blessing.

I hated needles. I hated blood. I hated doctors. They scared the shit out of me.

When I was a kid I'd had a few minor yet scary surgeries that terrified me. The memories weren't something easily forgotten and for some reason I couldn't shake them. The mere thought of going to the doctors anymore had me shaking. I was terrified of them and there was no rational reason why. I was a healthy person and I couldn't really explain it.

Anyways at my last check up, which had been hell in itself for me; my family doctor told me I had to get some blood work as a routine check up. I'd never had blood taken before and I almost ran out of the room right then. She assured me I could make an appointment and come back another day to get it done. Ever since I've been a hot mess just thinking about it.

Seriously, blood is in your body for a reason, it's not supposed to leave. Needles aren't supposed to pierce your skin, like eww. No thank you. Plus on the pain tolerance scale I think I was like negative ten. Not to mention I'm the biggest chicken shit.

"What is the matter with you? Jesus Lexi, you've been acting like a crazy person all day. One second you're pissed, then you're quiet, then you just look scared. What the hell is going on?" Joe asked me a few days later. I looked up to meet his eyes, we were sitting around waiting for the pizza to arrive and I have to admit I'd been acting like a lunatic all day.

"Nothing," I mumbled, knowing I was being ridiculously irrational.

"Something has you all jumpy and shaky, just tell me."

I met his eyes and sighed. "My doctor said I have to go get some fricken blood work done or something," I huffed. Joe shot me a confused look.

"So...." he pressed.

"So I hate doctors, and needles and blood and I know it's stupid but the whole thing has me really stressed out. I have to make an appointment for sometime in the next week and the thought makes me want to hide in a closet somewhere."

Joe let out a chuckle. "It's really nothing, Lex. I do it every day, there's nothing to be afraid of. I have patients all the time who are just as freaked out as you about it, but they live. It's nothing to stress yourself out about," he assured me. Stupid-doctor-friend-know-it-all. I huffed.

"Don't care. Can't do it. I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. I don't need a blood test."

"How do you know? If you've never had one you really should get one done. They catch things nothing else can, and if you are sick and don't know it, or something is off they can treat it right away. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you. There probably isn't, but better safe than sorry, isn't that the old cliché?" He said softly, shuffling closer to me. "It's really not a big deal, Hun, just do it and get it over with," he encouraged.

I bit my lip and shook my head. I just couldn't. "Hey, if I'm dying from some strange disease, I don't want to know about it. Let me live in oblivious peace for a while," I tried to tease.

Joe didn't find that funny and shook his head. "You don't want it that way. If—" he paused. "If Nick would've had a routine blood check as a kid, they could've caught his diabetes earlier, they could've helped him sooner..."

"Joe, I didn't mean it like—"

"I've had so many patients, cancer victims, all kinds of things. If we'd only caught it sooner, we could've saved them. We could've done more. We could've fought it easier and quicker. We could've made their lives a lot easier..." His voice was strained. Joe was a naturally compassionate person, it's part of the reason he was such a phenomenal Doctor, one of the best in his field.

"Yeah but Joe's there's nothing wrong with..."

"I know Lexi, there's nothing wrong with you and you hate needles," he sighed.

"I'm sorry! I know it's irrational and stupid but I just have this fear of doctors. How do you trust someone to stick metal in your arm and not make it hurt and not fuck it up? Last time I got a flu shot the idiot poked me four times before she got the damn thing in my arm! No offence but I just hate doctors."

Joe considered this for a second. "Some are better than others," he mused.

"Do you trust me?" He asked after a moment, holding my gaze intently.

"Of course I do, Joe. You're my best friend."

"Then I'll do it," he said firmly.

"Joe, you have a waiting list full of patients like three months long. How would that even—"

"Don't worry about that."

"But I—"

"I'll call the office. Come by tomorrow okay?"

"Tomorrow!" My eyes widened.

"Or would you rather worry about it for another four or five days, then do it?" He raised an eyebrow. I huffed.

"Damn it. Fine," I said defeated.

"Oh cut it out Lexi, you're being a big baby. There's nothing to it," he said squeezing my shoulder gently as the doorbell rang.

"Pizza! I'll get it," he jolted off the couch, fishing through his pockets for money. That man never let me pay.

* * *

The next day, decked out in my sweats I found myself in the waiting room, my leg bouncing furiously from nerves. I chomped on my nails as I waited my turn.

I was seriously contemplating taking off and pretending my car hadn't started this morning when a nurse came through the doors with that annoying smile they always have on their face. The I'm-so-happy-I'm-not-you smile. "Alexandra Thompson?" I stood up.

"Doctor Jonas will see you now," she chimed. My stomach turned.

I followed her through the double doors and down the hall, butterflies turning my stomach. It even smelled like the doctors in here. Damn it I hated that smell, that sterilized, sanitized fragrance that followed you around the rest of the day.

She stopped and gestured to a door on her right, setting my chart in the holder on the outside. She took my weight and blood pressure, recording it cheerily. "Blood pressure is a little high, but nothing to worry about dear," she smiled. Yeah, because I've never been this stressed out in my life, that's why it's so damn high.

I sent her a nervous smile back as she stood. "Dr. Jonas will be right with you," she chimed before leaving. Stop being so god damn peppy. Christ I was in a bad mood.

I shook my leg impatiently while sitting on the table and staring at all the posters in the room. "Unsatisfied with your chest size? Want to be more confident? Breast enhancement surgery could be right for you." I scoffed.

I didn't have to wait long before I felt a shuffling on the outside of the door and Joe emerged with my chart in hand, glancing at it briefly.

"Breast enhancement surgery, Jonas?" I bombarded him. He looked up and chuckled.

"Nice to see you too Lexi. And well, hey, it's an extremely popular business. I do a variety of procedures and I don't make those ridiculous posters," he said with that charming smile of his.

"Not interested," I attempted a joke.

"You don't need to be," he answered with a flirtatious wink. That's the way we'd always been, flirty and fun. I loved our relationship, Joe was a great friend and just downright enjoyable to be around.

"I know," I answered with a smile. He chuckled.

"Alright," he said taking a seat at the desk in the room and scanning my charts again. The happy and easy feeling in the room instantly fell and I tensed up again.

"Ready?"

"No," I said quickly, all hints of a smile falling from my face.

"Come on Thompson, don't chicken out on me now," he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

I just grimaced at him. "You'll be fine," he encouraged, shuffling through the drawers in the desk he was sitting in.

"Hey, what do you find most hilarious about that poster?" He asked nonchalantly as he continued to shuffle through stuff. I turned back around to look at it, examining it to humour him.

"Probably just the fact that it tries to make women self conscious and then attempts to guilt trip them into changing their bodies," I said sarcastically. Joe chuckled as I readied myself to turn around again.

"What about the bottom corner, that's my favourite," he said quickly. I stopped myself and went back to examining the poster, looking at the bottom corners trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. There was nothing in the damn corner. I inched closer, squinting and trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about.

"There's nothing in the damn corner, Jonas," I said wheeling around to face him.

That sneaky bastard had the needle all set up and ready to go by the time I turned back around. I chuckled. Smooth, Jonas, smooth. I just stared at it, my eyes wide for a moment.

Joe stood, but left the needle on the desk and made his way over to where I was sitting on the table. He stopped just in front of me and met my eyes. "Lexi, you need to relax, seriously," he encouraged.

I gulped, unable to take my eyes off the needle. He reached forward to grab my chin and gently tilt it up to move my gaze from the desk to his beautiful compassionate eyes. I blinked fast.

"Is it gonna hurt?" I asked quietly.

Joe sighed, holding my gaze with sympathy. "Maybe a little bit, I won't lie to you because that's just worse. But trust me when I say the tenser you are when I try and do this, the more it will hurt. Which is why you really just need to relax," he said reasonable and calmly.

I nodded slowly. "Seriously, this isn't a big deal. This is nothing, I do it every day," he soothed. I was still tense. He reached up to grab my shoulders gently, squeezing them just as gently until I relaxed slightly under his touch. "Just trust me," he said softly.

"I do."

"Let's come and sit over here," he said grabbing my arm and pulling me towards his desk. He grabbed another rolling chair and wheeled it over beside his desk where he took a seat. He gestured for me to do the same and I did hesitantly.

"You're going to have to take off your sweater," he said professionally as he grabbed a rubber band out of the drawer. I nodded and undid my sweater, slipping it off and leaving me in just a tight spaghetti strap tank.

He readied the needle and met my fearful eyes briefly. "Relax," he whispered again wheeling his chair closer to mine. I tried. He tied the band around my upper arm to find a vein and grabbed the needle, holding my gaze again. I stared down at it fearfully.

"Don't look at the needle, look at me."

I tore my gaze away to meet his, blinking fast and breathing just as quickly. I stared at his face intently, studying his handsome bone structure as his eyes held mine. He finally looked down and I could tell he was getting ready to do it. I just kept staring at his face, memorizing every detail, thinking about anything but what he was doing. When I felt the needle enter I let out a small whimper and grabbed onto his leg tightly with my free hand for support. His face remained concentrated as he continued to work. Damn it that did hurt. At least he'd got it right the first time though and only had to poke me once. I shuffled uncomfortably at the feeling of the needle still in my arm and as he began to draw blood I felt it and an involuntary tear ran down my cheek.

"It's okay," he whispered, never breaking concentration. I knew I had a death grip on his leg but he didn't falter. As he replaced the vile with another one and started extracting again another whimper escaped my lips. "You're fine," he insisted softly as he continued to work, trying to finish as quickly as possible. He never once did something stupid that hurt me; he was good at his job. He never poked me again, or shifted the needle uncomfortably, after a few moments it began a little easier to ignore the fact that I had a needle sticking out of my arm. I just kept studying his face and biting my lip as he worked. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, he looked so serious yet so handsome.

After another few minutes I began to really get anxious as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Just keep looking at me, just look at me. Almost done," he encouraged sympathetically. I began to feel light headed from the pain and blood loss and I closed my eyes, pressing them together tightly to shake it off.

"You okay?" He asked concerned, tearing his eyes away from my arm.

I just kept my eyes closed. "Dizzy," I mumbled.

"Okay," he said quickly and with concern. "Just stay with me, I'm almost done."

I felt myself began to sway lightly. I squeezed my eyes shut in an effort to stay in control. Joe put a steady arm on my shoulder and held me while he finished up. "Almost there, Lexi," he whispered. A moment later he pulled the needle out quickly and I let out a cry of pain, followed by a sigh of relief. I kept my eyes closed tightly.

I heard Joe leave and return a moment later, taking a seat beside me again. "Drink this," he said firmly. I opened my eyes to see him holding a glass of orange juice, a look of concern etched on his face. I took it from him and saw the vial's of blood on the desk. He followed my gaze and grabbed them, taking them out of the room quickly with the needle and returning a moment later. I'd taken a few sips of the juice and the dizziness was subsiding.

"Better?" He asked seriously.

I nodded. He offered me a smile. "All done."

I sent him a weak smile back. He looked down at my arm and I followed his gaze. I could see a small light purple bruise forming there. He frowned. "Let me see that," he grabbed my arm gently and pulled out a cotton swab, dabbing at the small bead of blood pooled in the crevice. He then grabbed a Band-Aid and put it on my arm before letting it drop gently as I finished my orange juice.

He studied my face again for a moment, leaning forward in his chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Joe," I insisted, still feeling the slightest bit dizzy. My arm hurt to bend too. Damn needles.

He studied me. "You're lying to me," he said with a smirk. I shook my head no, trying to keep a straight face, but the head shaking caused me to raise a hand to my eyes. Bad idea.

"You're not driving home," he said with finality.

"Joe, stop it. I'll be fine," I insisted.

"You're not driving like this," he said in a serious tone. He picked up the phone on the desk, dialling an extension. "Mary, have my next two appointments pushed back an hour and move my lunch break up please," he said politely. "Yes, I have something to take care of, tell her I'm terribly sorry and this session is free," he said just as politely. I smiled at him. He was too kind for his own good.

He hung up the phone and turned back to me, slipping off his white jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair. "Let's go, I'm taking you home," he said grabbing my hand to help me up.

"Joe, No! I—"

"Don't argue with me," he insisted pulling me upright and helping me put my sweater on. I swayed slightly at the sudden movement and he put his arms firmly around me from behind to hold me up. I leaned ever so slightly into his embrace.

"Joe," I whispered. He waited. "Thank you," I said quietly. "For everything."

"Don't mention it," he said softly in my ear. "Anything for you, Lex," he said moving to stand in front of me and brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"Now let's get you home so you can relax," he said leading me towards the door.

**So let me tell you guys a little story. The other day, my mom told me I should have a blood test done because it was like a regular thing and it was about time I get one.**

I, much like Lexi have this irrational fear of Doctors and the thought of getting my blood done makes me want to cry like a little baby. I also hate needles and blood. See where I'm going here?

Anyways that was the initial inspiration here. It was about hurt comfort and friendship and maybe a little something more between Joe and Lexi. That's up for you to determine since this is a one-shot and I'm finished with the story.

I had to write it, I know it wasn't romantic and really had no point but it was nagging at me and I'm the muse's bitch so I had to write it. I wrote it for me, so the little voice in the back of my head would shut up, but if anyone else found it enjoyable comments are always welcome. Maybe if I do have to go, I'll get a hot doctor ;]

Unlikely.

Oh and no this is not a continuation, nor does it have anything to do with a one-shot "Physical" I posted a while ago.

Love you guys.

Meg


End file.
